Refreshing Africa's Future: Prospects for Achieving Universal Wash Access by 2030

Abstract

Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is indispensable to development, but what will it take for Africa to achieve universal access in 15 years? This paper uses the International Futures forecasting system to explore Sustainable Development Goal 6, which promises water, sanitation and hygiene to all by 2030. It finds that Africa is not on track to meet this goal. In response, it uses two alternative scenarios to assess the costs and benefits associated with accelerating access. The first models an aggressive push toward universal access and the second a more moderate approach that advances access to water, sanitation and hygiene based on countries’ 2015 baselines.